The main objective of the Basque Biobank is to provide research groups with high quality human biological samples (DNA, RNA, proteins etc) and clinical associated data. Any research group may submit a sample request to the Basque Biobank. You can check out sample availability in our catalogue. If you do not find what you need, we can establish a “on demand” prospective sample collection. To submit a sample request, please click on the "Sample request" button that can be found on the right-hand side of www.biobancovasco.org. After registering, you should attach the required documentation: a research project and the corresponding ethics committee approval. Once a request is received, we will send you an acknowledgement of receipt. If this does not arrive, contact biobancovasco@bioef.org. We will contact you again as soon as possible to inform you of the steps to follow, date of the request decision, etc. Provision of these samples will depend exclusively on the approval of your request by the Basque Biobank's Ethical and Scientific Committees. Once your sample request has been approved, a material transfer agreement, which we will send to you beforehand, must be signed between the Basque Biobank and the applicant body. Samples for research purposes are free and only the cost of their collection, processing and storage must be met.

Deskribapena

The Basque Biobank is a hospital-related platform aimed at promoting basic/clinical research that may lead to the development of tools for the prevention, diagnosis and discovery of therapeutic targets. The Basque Biobank is organized as a non-profit network biorepository that integrates its activity with the daily clinical activity, providing support to 12 large hospitals (with a total of 4,278 beds), 4 medium and long-term hospitalisation centres, 4 psychiatric hospitals (with a total of 777 beds), 3 non-hospital psychiatric centres and 320 primary care centers. All these centers cover the Basque population that amounts to a grand total of 2,193 million citizens. The operation of the Basque Biobank takes place under a strict quality management and bio-safety plan that includes optimal conditions for the transportation of biological material and procedures to guarantee traceability of samples and data, among other precautions. The Biobank collects populational, case-control and cohort samples from: • Peripheral blood: DNA, RNA, plasma, serum, cells and other fluids such as cerebrospinal fluid, saliva or tears. • Tumour tissues: healthy and neoplastic. • Other tissues obtained from autopsies, for example neurological material (Brain Bank) Likewise, the Basque Biobank collects samples from a broad range of diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, metabolic disorders, respiratory diseases, cancer, neuromuscular diseases, mental illnesses and rare diseases, amongst others